New Milford man arrested after low-speed car chase

Libor Jany

Updated 11:24 pm, Thursday, February 7, 2013

DANBURY -- A 37-year-old New Milford man faces drunken driving charges after leading police on a decidedly low-speed chase down city streets early Thursday, authorities said.

Walter Acevedo, of Chapin Road, finally pulled over near the intersection of Wildman Street and Triangle Street in his black Ford Explorer, after a pursuit that lasted several minutes, according to police reports.

But, given that the driver was only going "10 to 15 miles per hour," the chances of him eluding police for long were remote, said police spokesman Detective Lt. Thomas Michael.

The incident unfolded shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday, when officers spotted the sport-utility vehicle drifting into the opposing lane on Newtown Road, Michael said. Officers tried to pull over the vehicle, but Acevedo did not stop, the spokesman said.

Acevedo, who was talking on a cell phone as officers approached the vehicle, refused to take a field sobriety test, Michael said. Officers apparently detected a strong odor of alcohol emanating from him, police said.

He was charged with a variety of offenses, including driving under the influence, engaging in a pursuit, reckless driving, failure to drive right, driving with a suspended license, failure to obey a traffic control signal, driving while using a cell phone, three counts of failure to obey a stop sign and driving without insurance, police said.